Did anyone see this coming? Of the model variants expected to be spun off the GT86 platform, a Shooting Brake can't have ranked too highly. Still, here we are, with a driveable GT86 Shooting Brake concept, designed in Australia, built in Japan and just revealed in Sydney.
Originally designed a 1:4 scale model at the end of 2014, GT86 project head
Tetsuya Tada
was impressed enough to have the
craftsmen back in Japan build a full size version. According to him the car "retains the coupe's involving driving experience with a slightly more neutral feel in tight corners." Traction will surely be improved with the rear end full of flat-pack furniture too...
Nicolas Hogios, Head of Toyota Australia design and this project, is understandably quite proud of what his team has achieved. He says it keeps the "sporty, taut and energetic" silhouette of the standard car, but now with a much easier loading boot that can "carry surfboards, bikes or storage pods for a weekend away". Could you really have your cake and eat it with a practical GT86?
Let's not get too excited though, as there are no plans to actually build the Shooting Brake '86. Tada-san added that: "While we never say never, and I would love this concept to become a production reality, it is very much a concept that demonstrates the passion within Toyota for cars that are fun to drive." And, let's be honest, this is an extremely niche variant of an already pretty specialist car. Thinking rationally, it's probably quite hard to make a business case for.
That being said, we're pleased that Toyota can still see the worth in interesting concepts. What do you make of it? What else would you like to see Toyota do? And, most importantly, can any GT86 news story make publication without mention of a faster version? Oh...
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